On Monday, a rebel alliance, which includes members of the M23 movement, said it had seized North Kivu province's Goma, the largest city in eastern DRC. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Rwanda to withdraw its troops from the DR Congo.
"Bankole Adeoye condemns violence by M23 and all other negative forces, and calls for full respect of DRC's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. He urges M23 to lay down arms, honor the August 2024 Ceasefire Agreement, and prioritize dialogue for a peaceful solution," the African Union Commission's Department on Political Affairs said on X on Tuesday.
Adeoye also called for the resumption of work in the format of the Nairobi Peace Initiative to support the official authorities of the DRC and achieve dialogue between the opposing sides.
The Southern African Development Community said over the weekend that its SAMIDRC mission in Goma came under a deadly attack by the M23 armed group on January 22, in what it said was a clear violation of the Angola-brokered ceasefire.
In July 2022, a DRC-Rwanda summit took place in Angola after M23 rebels, who claim to be protecting the rights of the Tutsi minority, stepped up the fighting in the eastern DRC. The DRC accused Rwanda of supporting the rebels, while Rwanda denied having any links to the movement.